Japanese Highway Repaired in Less Than a Week

Many delays of Japanese auto parts and vehicles have less to do with damage at Japanese car plants and more to do with the crippled transportation and energy networks within the bewildered country.

Today, we got an uplifting glimpse of the fast-paced reconstruction of Japan’s national highway system. The photo (above) provided by Nippon Expressway Co. (NEXCO) shows the damage caused by the Tohoku earthquake on the Great Kanto Highway. Some of the breached sections opened up caverns as deep as 150 meters, according to the Daily Express.

Repairs began on this highway on March 17 and just six short days later it was opened again to traffic. The highway had at least nine obstructions, according to a translated NEXCO bulletin. The highway connects northeastern towns to Tokyo.

While that breakneck speed is a hopeful sign, the recovery of northeastern Japan has just begun. The Japanese government estimates that direct damage from the earthquake and tsunami will cost as much as $310 billion.